Rob Schneider says door remains open for Elle King amid estrangement
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17. Rob Schneider, 62, said he will remain available to his daughter, country singer Elle King, whenever she chooses to reconnect, according to remarks made on Andrew Gold's "Heretics" podcast. The "Grown Ups" actor described King as "very talented," acknowledged he fell short as a father, and said he had apologized, though he was unsure whether she accepted the words.
Key takeaways
- Rob Schneider, 62, said his door remains open to his estranged daughter, singer Elle King, and that he will be there the moment she needs him.
- On Andrew Gold's "Heretics" podcast, Schneider called King "very talented," admitted he fell short as a father, and said he had apologized but was unsure she accepted it.
- In 2024 on BunnieXO's "Dumb Blonde" podcast, King described a sometimes "toxic" childhood, called Schneider "just not nice," and said he forgot every birthday and would go four or five years without speaking to her.
- Schneider said his Christian faith shaped his view that forgiveness is a gift to oneself, and that he would not force a reconciliation.
- King's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 17. Rob Schneider, 62, said he will remain available to his daughter, country singer Elle King, whenever she chooses to reconnect, according to remarks made on Andrew Gold's "Heretics" podcast. The "Grown Ups" actor described King as "very talented," acknowledged he fell short as a father, and said he had apologized, though he was unsure whether she accepted the words.
Schneider said a previous public admission that he had not been the father Elle King needed drew a response he was not emotionally prepared for. On the podcast, he described what he called an endemic in the United States: parents whose adult children return from college and cut off contact, or who can no longer see their grandchildren. He framed it as an attack on a vulnerable culture.
What Elle King described
In 2024, King appeared on BunnieXO's "Dumb Blonde" podcast and said her childhood was at times "toxic." She described Schneider as "just not nice" and said he would go four or five years without speaking to her. He forgot every birthday, she said. Her 18th fell while she was in summer school. Staff there brought her cupcakes.
King recalled spending summers on her father's film sets, where she said she got lost in the production and was reprimanded when she made noise or disrupted a shot. After she released a record and interviewers began asking about Schneider, she said he called and told her not to discuss him in the press. She said she had tried letters, a softer approach, and arguments, and reached a point where she would "boil over," but said she accepted she could not control his actions or feelings.
Schneider on faith and forgiveness
On the "Heretics" podcast, Schneider said his Christian faith shaped his view of forgiveness: that it is a gift someone gives to themselves, not the other person. He said a connection to something higher than fame or professional success kept him grounded when those things fell away. He said he would not force a reconciliation. His door, he said, is open, and he would be there the moment she needed him.
King's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.